UW-Whitewater finished third in the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association Championship hosted by Hamline University in Saint Paul, Minnesota Friday, March 20. The finish is the best ever for UW-W. Warhawk Justine Weyer (Colgate/Germantown) added All-America honors by finishing fifth in the all-around, duplicating the feat she accomplished last year. Saturday, March 21 Ashley George (East Dubuque, IL/East Dubuque) won the uneven bars title, becoming the third national individual gymnastics champion in school history. Weyer, fifth on the balance beam with teammate Danielle Doll (Ingleside, IL/Carmel Catholic) eighth, and Allison Nelson (Naperville, IL/Neuqua Valley), sixth in the vault, added event All-America recognition for the Warhawks. UW-W coach Jennifer White was named NCGA Coach of the Year.
Saturday recap
Saturday results
Friday recap
Friday results
National Collegiate Gymnastics Association Championship web site
Gymnastics NCGA Championship Blog
LIVE VIDEO OF PERFORMANCES
National Collegiate Gymnastics Association rankings
audio interview with Ashley George (East Dubuque, IL/East Dubuque) and Angel Simonini
audio interview with head coach Jennifer White
Animoto Video
UW-W qualified for the NCGA meet by finishing second in the NCGA West Regional/Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship March 6 in Winona, Minnesota. Other teams that will be competing include defending champion UW-La Crosse, Ithaca College, New York-Brockport, New York-Cortland, Winona State and host Hamline. All of the teams qualified through regionals, with the exception of Hamline which received an entry as the host. Gustavus Adolphus College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Rhode Island College, Springfield College, Ursinus College, UW-Eau Claire, UW-Stout and UW-Oshkosh have individuals that have qualified for the championship.
The Warhawks finished fourth in the 2007 championship when UW-Whitewater hosted the meet in the Kachel Gym, and UW-W placed fifth in the 2008 championship hosted by New York-Cortland. There are sixteen teams in the NCGA, all of them National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III members. The NCAA does not offer gymnastics championships for Division II or Division III.
Four UW-W seniors have seen, and been a part of, the rise of the Warhawk gymnastics program. Danielle Crinzi (New Berlin/Eisenhower) was one of two gymnasts to qualify for the NCGA meet as a freshman in 2006, when she placed ninth in the all-around competition. Katie Cosentino (Elk Grove Village, IL/Conant), Ashley George (East Dubuque, IL/East Dubuque), and Angel Simonini (Antioch, IL/Antioch) joined Crinzi in that freshman class.
One year later, 2007, UW-W hosted the meet and, coming in ranked eighth, earned the team's best finish ever with the fourth place. Crinzi again played a key role. She placed third in the all-around, tied for third in the floor exercise, and finished eighth on the balance beam. She was joined in the All-American ranks by George, who placed seventh in the all-around standings.
New additions helped the team earn its first national berth through regional qualifying in 2008. Justine Weyer (Colgate/Germantown) won the NCGA vault championship, the second national titlest in school history, and she also placed third on the uneven bars and tied for fifth in the all-around competition. Crinzi tied for seventh on the uneven bars, Allison Nelson (Naperville, IL/Neuqua Valley) was twelfth in the vault, and Ginelle Galub (Machesney Park, IL/Harlem) finished thirteenth in the floor exercise as UW-W took fifth place in the team standings.
Which brings us to 2009, with all four seniors ready for their last shot. UW-W is ranked number one in the NCGA team ratings with a 186.64 average, followed by New York-Brockport 186.19, UW-La Crosse 186.07, Ithaca 185.69 and Ursinus College 184.11.
As you might expect, UW-Whitewater is also well represented in each of the individual event rankings.
- Weyer is ranked fourth in the all-around (37.87) and George sixth (37.49). Number one is Meghan Hargens of UW-Stout (38.07).
- Weyer is third (9.64) and Nelson eighth (9.59) in the vault. Number one is Gabi Hooper of UW-La Crosse (9.79).
- Weyer is fourteenth in the floor exercise (9.56). Kira Oldham-Curtis of Ursinus is number one (9.79).
- Weyer (9.53) and George (9.49) are sixth and eighth, respectively, on the uneven bars. Julia Zimmerman of MIT is first (9.59).
- George is second (9.64) and Weyer ninth (9.48) on the balance beam. Number one is Naomi DeLara of UW-Stout (9.67).
Friday's competition at the NCGA meet will determine the team and all-around champions. Scores from Friday will also be used to determine qualifiers for Saturday's finals in each specialty, but Friday's scores do not carry over. Individual champions and All-Americans will be determined Saturday.
For additional information: Jennifer White, UW-W coach
